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Winter Warm-Up Day 1, running thread

Greetings from the Millennium.

4 pm – John Mozeliak said he thinks Wellemeyer and one other arb-eligible player could have their contracts finished within a couple of days. That player is likely either Chris Duncan or Brad Thompson.

3 pm – Brendan Ryan has bulked up a little bit, said he’s put on 10-12 pounds. It’s noticeable in a good way.

12:20 pm – Adam Kennedy acknowledges that nothing is guaranteed for him, and said he doesn’t think anything really needs to be smoothed over. As for the 2B job: “It’s someone’s job to win, and I plan on doing that.”

12:05 pm – Chris Carpenter is extremely optimistic about his recovery. Boiling it down, he said he’s going about things as though he’s simply preparing for the season, rather than rehabbing from an injury. Playing catch every day.

“I feel good. I feel like it’s a regular winter. … Right now I feel like a normal offseason. My shoulder feels good. I have no issues whatsoever.”

11:05 am – Chris Perez divulged that he has a bone spur in his left ankle that bothered him in September last year. He did not have surgery but did have a cortisone shot earlier in the winter. He may need a couple more shots in it as the season goes on, but said he does not feel it when he pitches.

Perez has lost weight, and it’s noticeable upon seeing him.

“I had a little ankle issue this season, and they said losing a couple pounds might help it,” he said. “So it’s just a combination of things.

“[I’ve done] A lot of bike [work]. My ankle, I have a bone spur in there and it kind of makes it tough for me to run on it a lot. But I got a cortisone shot like two months ago and it feels a lot better. So I’ve just been doing a bunch of biking — intervals and hill training and stuff like that.”

10:55 am – Josh Kinney says he’s had a normal offseason, nothing out of the ordinary with his arm. “So far, so good. It’s been nice. No rehab. Different.” Kinney also reported the two highlights of his winter were a successful bear hunt and getting engaged.

10:45 am – Chris Duncan says he’s feeling great, working out extensively, having no problems since his surgery. “I’ve been doing everything,” he said. “I pretty much feel like nothing ever happened.”

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4 Comments

Sad to see that Springer isn’t in the Cardinals’ plans. I can’t believe that they didn’t even offer him a contract after he said he’d take a pay cut or play for incentives. He’s a great guy, and I really feel bad for him, since it seemed like he wanted to play for us. This is one more reason that I’m starting to dislike the Cardinals’ management. They should be ashamed, not only for not giving Springer a contract, but also for their missed opportunities or gaffes that they’ve created. Regardless, I wish him the best of luck wherever he plays next season.

I’m not very upset about the Cardinals not re-signing Springer. I would have loved to have seen him pitch another year for us, and yes, he was great for us, but you have to take into consideration multiple things. 1) He’s 40 years old, 2) He’s a right handed relief pitcher, something we have plenty of and don’t really need, 3) He only pitch 0.1 or 0.2 innings at a team, very rarely did he ever go an inning plus, 4) It opens the door for someone like Josh Kinney to make the roster, & 5) we can spend the money wisely on a starting pitcher or two. Imagine this bullpen: LRP-Ryan Franklin, MRP-Charlie Manning, Kyle McClellan, Josh Kinney, Set-Up: Chris Perez/Jason Motte, Trever Miller, Closer-Chris Perez/Jason Motte.

I could throw a few more names out there that would add depth, I guess it really depends on the starting rotation: Brad Thompson, Joel Pineiro (If he’s replaced in the starting rotation), Mitchell Boggs, etc. I’m not sure, is Mitchell Boggs injure? I’m pretty sure that Jaime Garcia is injured, he had TJ Surgery, didn’t he?

Well I am personally not going to disparage Springer because of his age. He’s a pitcher. SEVERAL pitchers have pitched effectively into their 40s. He proved last year that he still has it. Next, there’s one big reason he doesn’t AVERAGE an inning plus per outing, and that is TLR’s tendency to use the bullpen like a basketball team’s bench. I personally remember Russ going 3 and 4 innings when needed. And he did it very effectively. I think Josh Kinney is not a guarentee to return to form, so competition and advice from a veteran could really help him. Springer agreed to a pay cut and incentives, so we aren’t saving much at all by turning our backs on him. I really hate how management, and some fans, treat these guys like commodoties instead of human beings. Best wishes Russ. Most of us wish we had you back. And WE apologize for our ownership’s lack of tact or loyalty.

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